Early in the wee hours of the morning a cold start means I get to hear the groan of power steering until the car has warmed up.

It sounds expensive, but other than the noise, there are no other symptoms. The steering is still butter smooth. I have checked the fluid reservoir and it hasn't dropped, it's actually stayed at the full mark. I haven't seen anymore leaks ever since I changed the low pressure hose.

Is the rack on its last legs? Is the pump going bad? Is there some sort of clogged filter that could be restricting flow?

 

When was the serpentine belt last changed? If you turn on your A/C (full cold) while it's groaning, will the sound change?

 

I changed the serpentine belt last August.

I'll let you know tomorrow about the A/C.

 

The sound does not change with the A/C at full blast. To be clear, I can only hear it when I move the steering wheel.

 

Try bleeding it.

Turn the wheel from full lock to full lock six times
while engine is running.

Check the fluid level when done.

 

That pretty much rules out the belt system. Sorry - looks like you're back to the pump/rack diagnosis.

 

I repeated this procedure three times today. The groaning dissapeared but I suspect that is because the car had warmed up. The level of the fluid did not change at all.

About 6 hours later I started the car and the groan was there again whenever I moved the steering wheel until it warmed up again.

 

That's what I feared and expected. Is there anyway to confirm it's one or the other?

 

Sorry, G. I'll have to pass that on to someone else who's had experience there. Knock-on-wood, I haven't had the pleasure.

 

doubtfull you have every changed the fluid cause most people think the only thing that gets old and dirty is oil. neglecting PS, trans, diff, brake fluid and coolant leads to shorter life and other issues down the road. Soooo drain the fluid and refill with synthetic. I like Mobil1 syn ATF. You dont have to flush just drain most out. I do this by taking out the torx bolt holding the 2 PS lines in at the rack, reservoir cap off and drain the system. While up rotate the tires left and right till all the fluid is pretty much pushed from the rack. Hook lines back fill reservoir to top, start the engine for a second then top up again and restart letting run and fill a neccesary. This was always Jaguars solution to PS noises and works well in most cases.

 

Haha, ... Brutal, do realize how many P/S fluid changes you just caused? "I've" never thought of it before. It'll get done on the next round of maintenance, which already included new brake fluid. Brilliant! Thanks.

 

Alright, I'll try this!

 

I lifted the car to check for leaks near the rack. I found none, not even when squeezing the rubber boots. I did however, see a power steering leak (red oil) towards the front of the engine on the driver's side which I seemed like it was coming from somewhere near the pulleys. That leak was definitely not present when I changed my water pump. Could the power steering pump be leaking?

I think I read somewhere on the forum that there may be a leak from a couple of loose screws after front end engine work. What screws may those be? Is this slow leak the reason for my cold start groaning?

I still haven't gotten around to changing the oil yet.

 

Had a little cold start noise myself (I think reading this link jinxed me).

Didn't have time to get the front end up and drain it, so pulled maybe a 1/3 quart out with a turkey baster from the reservoir and topped back up with fresh ATF.

Really nasty brown stuff came out BTW!

It has improved enough I can tell it's better. Will do another couple of "turkey flushes" over the next few days and see what happens.

 

Mike,

Did you use plain ol' Dexron III ATF?

 

Yes, Valvoline Dex III.

Pulled out another 1/3 quart tonight and replaced it. We'll see how it does in the morning.

 

That's what I've used in both of our Jaguars as well. It seems to do the job in these cars....

 

Im not coming to your house for Thanksgiving this year. That Gravy smells like ATF

 

Brutal,

The key is to swipe those kitchen tools while the wife is away, immediately use them as needed, clean them thoroughly, and put them back exactly where they belong before she has a chance to return home....

 

My turkey baster is actually bought "for" the garage. I have to search it down on the rare occasions it's needed in the kitchen. My funnels and little Tupperware containers are the same way. I long ago realized I wasn't using "kitchen things" every once in while on the cars, .... it was the REVERSE. So now, the garage is their primary home. It's just one of the advantages of having to deal with girlfriends vs. a wife - lol.